Amor bajo las estrellas lejanas

Capítulo 40

Minglu nodded and smiled, and then Eunuch Li smiled and turned to go into the house.

As soon as Eunuch Li left, Xi Ri immediately noticed Ming Lu's gaze returning to her. After a moment's hesitation, she turned to Ming Lu and flashed what she considered the most foolish smile she had ever given in her life, saying with all her might, "Lulu, we're really destined to meet again." Logically, she should have leaned against him disgustingly, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it, and even saying those words felt incredibly awkward. She secretly broke out in a cold sweat, thinking: Forget it, I shouldn't force myself to keep going, or it might backfire. Because at that moment, she felt her face was stiff, and she couldn't imagine what her twitching smile would look like. She regretted once again not having a mirror with her.

Upon hearing this, Minglu frowned, snorted coldly, and said, "Miss Tian, mind your place."

His tone startled Xi Ri; his attitude towards her...

He seemed to look at her with disdain, a realization that left Xi Ri unsure whether to be happy or frustrated. A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she tentatively reached out to grab Ming Lu's sleeve, only to see Ming Lu suddenly flick his sleeve away, his eyes showing disgust, and coldly say, "Insolence! What kind of behavior is this!"

Xi Ri paused for a moment, then silently withdrew her hand.

At this moment, Eunuch Li came out, but Xi Ri saw that Ming Lu already had a smiling face on his face.

Eunuch Li smiled and said to Minglu and Xiri, "The Empress Dowager invites Prince Ming and Miss Tian in. Prince Ming and Miss Tian, please." After saying that, he quickly opened the door for Minglu and her.

At this moment, Minglu considerately let Xiri go first, his manners were refined and polite. Although he still did not want to look directly at her, there was no trace of the aloofness and indifference he had shown just now.

It turns out, she's not the only one who can act...

Because Minglu was present, the Empress Dowager received them from behind a curtain.

It turned out that the Empress Dowager summoned them to the palace to inquire about the progress of their wedding preparations.

The Empress Dowager seemed quite pleased to see the two of them together. The eunuchs and maids serving nearby even started making comments about them being a "golden couple" and a "perfect match." Xi Ri wore a fake smile, while Ming Lu smiled. Every time Xi Ri made eye contact with Ming Lu, she would immediately put on an extremely shy expression to match everyone's impression.

Afterwards, the Empress Dowager had Minglu wait outside the hall and called Xiri in alone. Having not seen each other for two years, the Empress Dowager looked at Xiri with a touch of pity. Xiri sat sideways opposite her aunt, and the Empress Dowager took Xiri's hand and sighed, "Child, you have suffered a lot these past two years."

For some reason, the Empress Dowager's words brought tears to Xiri's eyes. The Empress Dowager quickly said, "Don't cry. You're going to be a bride soon. Why are you still acting like a child?"

“Aunt… I was unfilial in the past, and I haven’t been able to come to the palace to see you for so long.”

The Empress Dowager smiled and scolded in a low voice, "You are unfilial, despite how much I love you."

"Aunt..." The Empress Dowager's seemingly reproachful but actually caring rebuke made Xiri unable to hold back her tears any longer.

It turned out that she was the only one who thought everything was fake; it turned out that her aunt genuinely cared for her. She suddenly longed to throw herself into her aunt's arms and whine, telling her she didn't want to marry Minglu, she didn't want to marry Minglu. But… she knew perfectly well that her aunt, the Empress Dowager, believed marrying Minglu was the best way out for her, just as she had thought marrying Suoge was the best choice back then. It had nothing to do with happiness; it was simply because it was the best path chosen for her.

Actually, her aunt loves her. But if one day her aunt finds out what she has done, will she still love and pamper her as before? ... Now she is going against the will of heaven, and her chance of success is almost zero. But she refuses to accept her fate.

The Empress Dowager bestowed many gifts upon her and ordered them to be delivered to the Tian residence.

When it was time to part, Xi Ri was actually quite reluctant to leave her aunt, and compared to her previous feigned affection, she showed more sincerity.

Minglu waited outside the hall the whole time. His aunt asked him to leave the palace with Minglu, intending to leave the two of them alone.

Along the way, Xi Ri quietly followed behind Ming Lu, lost in thought.

Behind her followed her maid who had accompanied her to the palace, as well as four attendants brought by Minglu.

She obediently and silently followed behind him until they reached the Imperial Household Department. Minglu's attendants led his horse over, and Xiri also saw the sedan chair that had been waiting for her.

Given Xi Ri's status, the sedan chair should have stopped at the Dismounting Stele, not at the Imperial Household Department. However, due to the Empress Dowager's favor, she granted Xi Ri the right to ride a horse within the Forbidden City, so the sedan chair could stop at the Imperial Household Department, which was a courtesy equal to that of princes and dukes.

At this moment, Minglu, who had been facing away from her, suddenly turned around and looked at her with a half-smile.

Xi Ri immediately put on a fake smile, gave a slight curtsy, and said in a coquettish voice, "I'm sorry to have troubled Prince Ming to escort me here..." Before she could finish speaking, Ming Lu lifted her arm, straightening her body in the process. She subconsciously looked up to meet Ming Lu's gaze. Ming Lu smiled gently, so tenderly, so elegantly, so falsely. It was the first time Xi Ri had seen Ming Lu smile at her like that. Seeing an inexplicable tenderness in his eyes, she was secretly startled. She wanted to continue her fake smile, but she felt her lips twitch slightly uncontrollably. It turned out that she wasn't the only one who could act... He was even better at it...

Their identities and their relationship were surely known to everyone in the palace.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he treated her with utmost gentleness, helping her into the sedan chair. He then mounted his horse and followed beside the chair, appearing to be protecting her, as they left the palace together.

However, his whispered words just now had plunged her into a nightmare, leaving her flustered and confused. All she could remember was him helping her into the sedan chair and softly saying in her ear, "Let's leave the palace together. I'll take you somewhere, shall we?"

At that moment, she subconsciously wanted to shake her head, but felt that it didn't fit the personality she was supposed to pretend to have. She should have been excited and expectant with sparkling eyes, but she couldn't fake it, so she forced herself not to refuse.

Her silence naturally represented a shy acquiescence...

This is terrible!

Sitting in the sedan chair, Xi Ri was filled with unease, secretly wondering where he was taking her!

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind: Could it be that Minglu is going to take her to see Li Yu?

The sedan chair had already left Xihua Gate when a voice was heard outside. It sounded familiar, and Xiri suddenly felt a jolt and subconsciously lifted the sedan curtain.

Outside the sedan chair, Suoge cupped his hands to Minglu and said, "Brother Minglu."

Minglu said, "Brother Suoge."

Suoge looked up and his gaze met Xiri's. At the same time, Minglu also glanced at Xiri, his eyes darkening.

************

Why did she lift the sedan curtain? Why did she lift that curtain? Perhaps even Xi Ri herself didn't know why.

But when her gaze met Suoge's, she looked away as if to escape, casually lowering the curtain. Yet, she knew in her heart that Minglu's gaze held a different emotion—disgust… disgust because of her lack of self-respect. Ah, wasn't this exactly what she wanted? Perhaps, she should have gone even further then, should have locked eyes with Suoge!

She gave a bitter smile... she couldn't feel happy no matter what.

The sedan chair remained parked. Outside the chair, Minglu suddenly said, "Xiri, come out and pay your respects to Prince Xi."

Xi Ri sneered. When had they become so intimate? Xi Ri—Ming Lu actually called her Xi Ri! He knew perfectly well the animosity between her and Suo Ge, yet he made her get out of her sedan chair to pay her respects to Suo Ge. What a joke. What was he trying to prove? What exactly did he want?

She was still angry and didn't want to get out of the sedan chair, but since Minglu wanted to see her meet Suoge, she would grant his wish!

The sedan chair was lowered, and a maidservant carefully lifted the curtain and reached out to help her out. Xi Ri bowed her head as she stepped out of the sedan chair, her face initially showing a hint of annoyance, but when she raised it, it became a radiant smile. Her large, watery eyes gazed at Suo Ge with deep affection, her eyes only for Suo Ge, while Ming Lu didn't even get a place in the corner of her eye (not even as much as eye boogers).

Xi Ri bowed gracefully and said shyly, "Greetings, Prince Xi."